Path loss prediction model for the over‐rooftop propagation environment of microwave band in suburban areas

It is desirable that the method used for outdoor path loss estimation at microwave frequencies be one for which a worldwide consensus can be obtained through an ITU-R international standard. In this paper, a path loss prediction model for over-rooftop propagation environments is proposed for suburban areas. This model is based on the propagation mechanism explained by using the geometrical optics and consists of the direct wave region, the reflected wave region, and the diffracted wave region. The boundary points of these regions can be determined uniquely from the antenna height and building environment and all regions are continuously connected. Hence, high-precision estimation of the path loss can be estimated from the short-distance line-of-sight region to the far-field non-line-of-sight region. The proposed model is useful for channel design of microwave-band wireless access systems. Further, the method contributes to the ITU-R international standardization described above. Finally, it is shown that the measured path loss and the value estimated by the present model agree well at 2.2, 5.2, and 19.4 GHz. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electron Comm Jpn Pt 1, 90(1): 13–24, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/ecja.20333